1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to automated carton forming, packing and sealing equipment and, more specifically, to automated carton forming, packing and sealing equipment which incorporates an inspection station while occupying a minimum of square footage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional carton forming, packing and sealing operation typically involves a substantial amount of manual labor associated with forming a carton blank to define a carton structure. Once the carton structure has been established, components are manually loaded therein until the carton is filled. Once the carton has been filled, the end flaps and top are folded, glued and held until proper adhesion is achieved. Such operations require a substantial amount of manual labor and often result in a carton structure which is inferior to that which is necessary to accomplish proper containment of the components stored therein. Efforts at automating the carton packing operation involve numerous operations which typically are accomplished in various stations along a linearly proceeding line. As such, substantial square footage is required to accommodate the respective equipment. Therefore, there is a need to develop a mechanism which will minimize the labor required to form and load a carton while minimizing the required square footage occupied by the associated equipment.
In addition, the components being loaded require inspection prior to loading into the carton. This inspection is typically accomplished by an operator performing the inspection operation while viewing the parts from multiple perspectives. Multiple perspective viewing may be accomplished by moving the part or moving the inspector. In each case the operation is time consuming and requires an addition station. Therefor, there is a need for an inspection operation which may be incorporated into the carton forming, packing and sealing operation which does not require an additional operation and which minimizes inspection effort.